TECHWEEK
The Samsung S95C is the company’s second foray into OLED. However, this time Samsung is opting for a larger 77-inch size compared to the 65- and 55-inch models we saw last year) and a higher 144Hz refresh rate for PC gamers. Samsung hasn’t been very open about the changes it’s made to the TV’s performance, promising a slight increase in brightness.
But this time the company is paying more attention to design. Namely, the Samsung S95C has a panel thickness of just 10mm and will include Samsung’s signature OneConnect Box to help hide the cables. In the Samsung QE77S95C 4K HDR Quantum Dot OLED TV review, as a representative of the series, we will look at the main features of the new product.
Samsung S95C Preview
Design
With regard to the appearance of the Samsung QE77S95C TV, it is difficult to say something unusual. Its design is basically the same as last year’s S95B except for one thing. The thickness of the panel of the new TV over the entire area has been reduced from 4 to 1 cm. Everything else – the dimensions and appearance of the stand – has remained unchanged.
This reduction in screen thickness through the use of the Ony Connect Box module makes it more attractive to place the TV on the wall using a standard VESA 400 x 400 bracket. The only cable connecting the Samsung S95C TV to the breakout box is not striking, being rather thin.
The TM2360E remote included with the 77S95C uses the same button layout as the TM2280E that comes with the S95B. Only its appearance has undergone minor changes. The console has acquired rounded shapes in all directions and slightly decreased in height. It is comfortable to hold in your hand.
Image quality
Samsung says the 77S95C TV is an OLED TV with built-in quantum dot technology. We already know that OLED (short for Organic Light Emitting Diode) means that each pixel on the screen panel turns on and off independently, creating great contrast in whatever image it displays. In this case, these LEDs create a blue backlight layer.
Above it is a layer of quantum dots, which are microscopic nanocrystals that produce much richer colors, especially those based on combinations of red and green. Samsung says that with quantum dots and an OLED base, the S95C can bring “dramatic detail with pure blacks, over a billion shades of true-to-life colors, and 8.3 million self-luminous pixels” to any movie, show or video game.
QE77S95C looks very good in a bright bright room. The image retains all the color saturation even when exposed to direct sunlight. The HDR performance of the S95C TV, according to the manufacturer, is phenomenal. If the measured peak HDR brightness of the S95B using a 2 percent window was 1500 nits, then the S95C would be around 2000 nits. In a 10 percent window, it drops to a still impressive 1500 nits.
While the extra brightness is what grabs the eye first, it’s actually the S95C’s color improvement over its predecessor that makes the most lasting impression. Saturation is richer and brighter, unlike the S95B , although Samsung’s debut QD OLED itself wasn’t too humble when it came to color saturation compared to conventional OLED TVs.
In terms of sharpening the details of the objects seen on the screen, the Samsung S95C TV does an excellent job of producing sharp, clean and bright images. The processing pipeline plays an important role in this – the TV uses the latest Neural Quantum processor from Samsung. In a word, the picture of the QE 77 S95 C is bright, rich and accurate in color.
Games
As good as the Samsung S95C is with video content, it might even be better for gaming. The predecessor’s output lag is measured at 9ms, well below the 20ms threshold for a “good” gaming TV. With the exception of Dolby Vision, the Samsung S 95 C supports all the major technologies used in next generation gaming consoles.
These include support for FreeSync Premium, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and Samsung’s version of Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). These and other settings (for example, for certain genres of games) are instantly available from the pop-up panel when the TV is in game mode.
Gamers will appreciate the Samsung Gamer Hub on the S95C for its ability to stream games from the Xbox cloud, NVIDIA GeForce NOW, Amazon Luna, and more without needing a console. All it takes is a Bluetooth-enabled controller and an Internet connection to start playing games with a 0.1ms response time and 4K refresh rate up to 144Hz without worrying about downloading large files and saving them.
Smart TV
One of the major shortcomings of the QE77S95C is that it still uses Samsung’s Tizen 7.0 smart interface. Like many other smart TV operating systems, it gives out a ton of information, but it’s more haphazardly organized and it can take a while to navigate.
On the TV’s main screen (called “Media”), a shortcut menu leads to privacy, search, and environment options (for displaying images outside office hours). If all you care about is apps, you’ll be fine – there’s a wide variety to choose from. After that, dynamic thematic collections begin, and, one might say, chaos begins. There are several new options for gamers such as GameBar 2.0 with MiniMap Sharing 3 and Virtual Aim Point.
Other methods for controlling the TV and navigation include Amazon Alexa voice assistants, Google Assistant, and Samsung’s own Bixby. Tizen OS arguably made more sense when it was released in 2015 and proprietary OSes like this one were more common. But compared to something like the intuitive, streamlined Google TV, this system is already really showing its age.
Sound
The S95C’s 4.2.2-channel speaker system is also more advanced than you’d expect from a standard OLED. In comparison, the LG C3 OLED manages 3.1.2 system, while last year’s S95B only has 2.2.2. The best drivers provide compatibility with Dolby Atmos, which gives an extra boost to the 70-watt sound. However, unlike some competitors, this series does not support DTS:X.
Connections
As mentioned above, QD OLED Samsung S95C assigned the entire switching component to the One Connect module (Y23 4K). In addition to antenna jacks, the number of which varies depending on the region, the box has 3 USB ports (one of them USB 3.0) and 4 HDMI ports (one with eARC ), all versions are 2.1. There is a LAN port, an optical audio output and a connector for connecting this slim box to a TV. There are also WiFi5 and Bluetooth 5.2 adapters on board.
Price
At the moment (February 2023), the price of Samsung QE77S95C QD OLED TV is $4500 when ordering in foreign online stores. The estimated start date for sales is February 21, 2023. The company has not yet announced the release of TVs in this series with diagonals of 65 and 55 inches – Samsung QE65S95C and Samsung QE55S95C, respectively.
Conclusion
The Samsung S95C OLED is full of great gaming features like the new 144Hz refresh rate and AMD’s FreeSync Premium Pro. It looks like the actual image quality of Samsung’s only OLED model hasn’t improved much from last year, aside from brightness.
But the lack of Dolby Vision is a constant annoyance to cinephiles. Ultimately, this model’s audience is likely somewhere between home theater enthusiasts and hardcore gamers. If you are one of them, don’t miss this TV.
